so i've got the midpipe on and i'm loving it. but i have to say being stuck in traffic and dealing w/ that 1500-2000 rpm drone got annoying real quick. so i was thinking about sound dampening the trunk hoping that would help. is it a pipe dream? is there something else i can do?

hmmm, i have a mid-pipe as well but dont have that drone. weird.....

I actually have the drone as well. Same rpm range.

tkman00
Did you replace the seals with new ones when you did the install? I wonder if that would make a difference or not?

g35papa - tbh, i dunno. i had my mechanic friend do it for me. and being that i'm a tard when it comes to this stuff, i can't definitively say

i think reading from most of the review threads, that the drone is there. but since it's in such a small rpm range you can almost just blow right thru it. if you're stuck in traffic and limited to that specific range/speed, it can start to suck real soon. alternatively i've been switching to MM mode and dropping gears to avoid that rpm range.

anyone have any thoughts on insulating the trunk/cabin from it?

I also experience some drone but I have the HKS rear section + coupe midpipe. So I can't tell for sure if it is the midpipe or the HKS.

I have to say though, that I had only the midpipe for a short while before the HKS went on, and did not really notice any drone.

Take a bullet, put it in your teeth...

Get a rock hammer, and gently tap the bullet...

Repeat until drone goes away...

Use the MM and get above the rev range as stated earlier.

Well, that isn't a very good solution. I have the same drone and while I appreciate the suggestion, that just isn't too practical. I drive 1500-2000 or so a lot up hills and along side streets.

This drone is the only complaint I have with the coupe midpipe. Otherwise it is awesome.

I have a Y-pipe, the midi & HKS rear......
No Drone at all.

I used to have a Borla TD, which def had a drone issue.

FWIW, have you checked the heat shield above the midi?
If it's touching or close to touching, it will resonate & cause drone.
You can pry it back (up)with a wood shim (stick)

I guess the same applies to the muffler heat shield? Did you remove yours?

OH yeah.. stop & go on the 405 makes it apparent around 1500-1700 RPMs. Coupe mid-pipe and otherwise stock exhaust still sounds better at idle and above the drone zone to compensate, IMO..

When you guys say the "drone" is that let's say you are on 1st gear or 2nd gear and you gas till let's say 4,000 rpm and then let the engine glide back down (the humming noise)?

If it is, I love that.

IMO, that's more of a whine... I don't mind that at all either.

The drone everyone is referring to (I think) is usually right around 2000 rpm, and it's more of a low-pitched hum (the kind that can set off car alarms around you on a residential street). With a 6MT, it's not too much of a problem, you could just downshift to keep the RPMs in a higher range.

I was running a coupe midpipe and I didn't think the drone was that bad... once I added a Blitz axle-back exhaust though, drone became really obvious if you're cruising say, at 1700 to 2200 rpm on the freeway and you need to go more than 10% on the throttle.

intgr8r and chico - i had the midpipe heat shield removed. didnt touch the muffler shield.

normal cruising is fine, it's just when the engine is working in the 1500-2000 range. while most people may not care, it's not something that i particularly enjoy when sitting in traffic.

does anyone have any opinions on sound deadening the trunk? i'm considering that as an option.

We addressed this issue in a Summer 2005 Sport Z Magazine article "Hush! Silencing Road Noise in a Z/G". And yes, the B-Quiet sound insulation worked very well.